SSP Coupe Suspension Upgrade - Hassle Free Hookup

Our SSP Coupe Breaks The 11.50 Barrier With An Updated Suspension And Some New Shoes

Marc ChristAssociate Editor

January 14, 2011

Photos By:
Kevin DiOssi,
Pete Epple

Unless you can afford a dedicated race car, your daily driver probably doubles as your track toy. Or you may have a weekend cruiser that you take to the track occasionally. Either way, when it comes time for you to go to the track, you don't want to deal with tire changes, major suspension adjustments, or unbolting and removing components.

That is where we've arrived with our '93 LX coupe. We wanted to find a combination of wheels, tires, and suspension that would be street-friendly, but would also work on the track. On top of that, the lowering springs that we have been using weren't helping very much with weight transfer, and it was time for some upgrades anyway.

To recap the recent modifications to our daily-driven Fox, we'll have to go back to the Oct. '10 issue, where we installed a Zex nitrous kit. We went from mid-12-second e.t.'s to 11.79 at 115 mph. Though we were happy with the improvement, tire spin became an issue when launching on the juice.

After adding an Edelbrock Performer RPM II intake manifold in the Dec. '10 issue, we dropped our best e.t. to date of 11.55 at 117 mph, pedaling it out of the hole. Our best 60-foot ever has been 1.69 seconds, and that was before the addition of the nitrous. If we want to get all we can out of the power we're making, we need to improve weight transfer and traction.

So there's no better time to kill two birds with one stone than now. But this begs the question: Which components to change? We want to keep it affordable, but also want to get the most out of our current power level. We want it to perform well on track, but also want it to be completely street-friendly for our 60-mile daily commute.

The answer to our quandary came one day as we were fiddling with Project Repeat Offender in the shop. We stumbled upon the discarded stock four-cylinder springs and sway bar, and a light bulb came on. The idea was simple: use four-cylinder springs all the way around, and use the entire budget for a good set of adjustable shocks, struts, and wheels and tires.

First, we called Summit Racing Equipment for a set of Koni "red" single-adjustable shocks and struts, and an airbag kit, which can be used to essentially stiffen the right rear spring to control body roll on launch. Then, we contacted BMR fabrication for a set of its adjustable upper control arms. Lastly, we called Discount Tire Direct for a set of TSW wheels and Nitto rubber.